The Forgotten Past
by shadowkat83
Summary: What if Naruto left in order to protect those closest to him, but they died anyway? what would happen if two thousand years later everyone was reborn? What if he couldn't remember what happened? How would that affect everyone then? Full Summary inside.
1. Chapter 1 prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

**Summary:** over two thousand years ago Konoha was completely wiped off the map. Naruto is an immortal yokai kitsune. He left the village in order to protect everyone, but now, they are dead. Two thousand years later, everyone is reborn, but they have no memory of their ninja past.

**A/N: **This is my first fan-fic so please be nice and enjoy. Any reviews to help me improve on my writing are appreciated.

The Forgotten Past

Prologue

I stood there, my blue eyes wide with disbelief, trying to take in the destruction that surrounded me. What had once been one of the most powerful Shinobi villages was now nothing. A pile of rubble was all that remained.

Bodies of both ninja and civilians alike lay scattered in what were once vendor crowded streets. I walked, almost in a complete daze, sandaled feet moving on their own accord. My blue eyes filled with tears as my gaze fell upon familiar faces.

I was too late. Gone; Dead; Everyone I knew and loved. Everything I spent my life trying to protect was gone; Destroyed. My feet continued to move on their own. Further into the village, my slow strides took me.

"This can't be real. They were supposed to be safe." The words came barely above a whisper. Hoarse with unshed tears was my voice. i couldn't afford to cry. i had to know what had happened.

My blue eyes looked to an equally blue sky, as if it held the answers I desperately needed, but no answers came.

Slowly the scene before me faded, the bodies disappeared, and the place fast forwarded through time. I was no closer now to finding answers than I was 2,000 years ago.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I let the last remnants of the jutsu wear off. No matter how many times I came back here, I still couldn't remember what happened.

I sighed again as I turned, and once again, walked away from the ruined village.


	2. Chapter 2 chapter one

**The Forgotten Past**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

**A/N: ** sorry it took so long to get this one up, my computer broke down and I had to get a new one. There will be an important note at the end of the page about this story so please read it.

Chapter One

Sixteen year old Yammaka Ino raced toward her class, this was her first day at her new school and she was already late.

"Made it," she exclaimed as she burst through the door of her first class.

A few minutes later, another figure entered the class. Ino turned to take in the new arrival. He was tall and built lean. You could see the muscles ripple beneath the loose clothes he wore as he strode through the classroom towards the teacher's desk. The guy had blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. Those brilliant orbs held a variety of different emotions as he turned to take in the class.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I will be your teacher for this class. This class is two classes combined into one. It's an experimental thing the school board came up with at the last minute. They're not quite sure if it will work or not. But I guess we'll indulge them.

"The class I'll be teaching you is Ancient Civilizations as well as mythology. We'll start here in Japan first, and then we'll go onto other countries.

"Now let's start by introducing yourselves. Why don't you go first?" I started pointing toward the still standing Ino. I may appear to be calm on the outside but inside my mind was in turmoil. There, sitting before me, were the familiar faces of my long dead comrades. For the past 2,000 years, I've grieved, and here they are, unhurt, completely oblivious to the inner turmoil I'm going through. My eyes scanned the classroom until I locked onto a pair of heart wrenching black eyes. Those eyes were so familiar. I used to see them every morning when I woke up 2,000 years ago. Now I no longer have that privilege, for now, my lover no longer remembers me. This was going to be a long year, I could already tell. I pulled my gaze away from that familiar face.

I needed to pay attention to my class. I could reminisce later.

"Okay, now that we all know each other. It's time to start with our first lesson." I walked over to the whiteboard behind me and grabbed a black pen. On the board I wrote two words: Myth and Legend. "Now, who can tell me the difference between the two?"

I looked out in the classroom full of familiar faces and spotted the one I had been thinking about earlier. Without even thinking about it I called on him. "Why don't you tell me the answer, Shikamaru?"

The Nara answered in that usual bored tone of his, "myths are made up stories that have no real history behind them and legends are stories based on real events that have been altered through each telling."

"Very good, but you missed something. Not all myths are of complete falsehood. There are some out there that actually have a beginning in history but have changed because people stopped believing in the old ways." I corrected him. I kind of felt really good that I finally knew something that the genius of the Nara clan didn't. Then again, I've been living a lot longer that he has.

That caught his attention. "How do you figure that?" he asked his curiosity getting the better of him.

"I'll give you an example. Who can tell me what a Shinobi or a ninja is?"

A raven haired student with trademark white eyes caught my attention. "Neji, think you know the answer?"

"What I know is that they are both myths." the Hyuga prodigy answered.

"Why do you say that?" I smirked, I could tell this conversation was about to get interesting.

"No evidence is listed that they ever existed. And the stuff they could supposedly do is impossible."

"Oh really? Why?"

"C'mon Sensei, clone yourself, breathe fire. It's impossible."

"Just because you've never seen it done doesn't mean it can't be. History has already proven that the so called impossible can happen."

"Like what? What was proven?"

"Here's another example. Demons; you call them myth, but if you go to another country they are as real as you and me."

"Huh?" Shikamaru was confused. "How are demons real? What country are they real in?"

"Well, if you go to America, you can hear stories about demon sightings. They exist. People have also seen spirits."

"There's no way that can be!" Ino exclaimed.

"Sure, it can. Have you ever had something happen that you can't explain? Have you ever felt that you were not alone, even though the room you were in was empty?" Some of the students in my class nodded, so I continued. "Those are supposed to be impossible but they happened. There are books of people telling stories that you wouldn't believe could be real, but they have solid evidence to prove otherwise.

"Some people make a living traveling to places to explain the impossible. They go from place to place looking for haunted cities and houses. There are even a couple of places I know of not too far from here, but I'm getting off subject. You guys aren't here to hear about ghost towns and demons you're here to learn about myths."

"No, wait, I want to hear more!" Shikamaru protested. Many other students voiced their agreement.

"Are you sure? I thought you didn't believe me."

"You said these people had proof. What kind of proof?" Neji asked, now totally absorbed in the conversation.

"They have pictures, and sound recordings. They also have video recordings. You can actually see and hear them have conversations with ghosts. Now demons are a completely different story."

"Different how?" Sakura asked her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Demons all depend on where you are. There are many different kinds. Here in Japan, for instance, demons come and every shape, size, and animal form. But if you go elsewhere there is only one kind; humanoid and evil. They are the servants of the most evil of beings. They are corrupt and depraved. People list vampires under this category, too. But that's a completely different topic. Now where was I?"

"Demons come in many of different types." Neji supplies helpfully.

"Oh right." And my lecture continues on. There are many more questions and I patiently answer each one. Too soon the class is over. But I promised them I would continue the topic tomorrow. I never thought they'd be interested in learning about the paranormal stuff. I should have been teaching that instead of history. I wonder if it is too late to change my schedule.

With that in mind I headed to my boss' office. Upon arriving I knocked on the door and waited for the okay to come in. I soon got it.

"Hey boss, I was wondering if you were too busy to talk." I explained to my boss. My boss was named Yamamura Kotetsu.

Yamamura-san looked up from his paperwork to see one of his youngest staff members in front of him. "Sure Naruto, what do you wish to talk about?"

"I was wondering if it was too late to change my classes. I seem to have more fun teaching about that paranormal stuff than history. Besides my class seems to enjoy my talks."

"As a matter of fact we just got a couple of new staff members today. And one of them expressed a great interest in the double subject class. I don't think he would mind teaching that class if you want to teach paranormal that much. You can keep you same schedule but just change the name of your course."

"Sounds great, so who is the new guy?" I asked.

At that moment the door Yamamura's office opened and as I turned to look I got yet another surprise. My mouth dropped open in shock as I stared at the familiar face in front of me.

**A/N: ** Another cliffhanger. You will find out quick that I like to end my chapters with as many of those as I can. I know the chapters are short but I have to get the story going before I can make them any longer. You want more than please review. Let me know how I am doing. If anyone would like to beta my stories let me know. I could sure use to help and advice.

**Another note: ** Okay I mentioned this at the beginning of the chapter. I will soon be changing the genre of this story to horror/paranormal/romance. I got a spark of inspiration over the weekend and I'm going to try it out. Let me know if it's any good.


	3. Chapter 3 chapter two

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

**A/N: ** I know its starts off slow but things start to get interesting in this chapter. You will get a few more flashbacks about that incident 2,000 years ago, as well as a plot twist. Here's where the new genre takes place.

**Pairings: **Naruto/Shikamaru and Kiba/Hinata/Shino, maybe more lately. Let me know what you want to see.

The Forgotten past

Chapter 2

I stared at the familiar face of my old sensei. There in front of me stood Iruka-sensei and next to him was none other than Kakashi-sensei. They still looked the same as the last time I saw them. Iruka still had his brown hair in a ponytail and that familiar scar was still present. Kakashi still hid the lower part of his face but instead of his mask he had a turtleneck shirt instead. And his right eye was covered by his hair. I knew for a fact that he no longer had the Sharingon so why it was still covered. Maybe he has another scar.

I quickly covered my surprise and asked, "Which one of you will be teaching my old history class?"

"Iruka will," Kakashi answered. "I will be teaching a math class."

"I hope it's no trouble, I don't want to take over if you still want it." Iruka told me with a soft smile.

"No, that's fine. I'm changing my class anyway. I'm teaching Paranormal Studies now. My class seems to enjoy it as much as I do." I answered with an answering smile.

Iruka's smile grew wider. "That's good; I was worried there for a minute."

"Not a problem." I turned back toward Yamamura-san. "I'll be heading out now. See you in the morning." Yamamura waved goodbye and turned his attention back toward his new staff members.

I left the office and headed toward the entrance of the school. While I was walking I turned my attention toward my new freshman class. _If they only knew the real depth of my knowledge on that subject they'd freak. _I thought to myself. Soon my musings took me back over the last two thousand years. _So much had happened. Kyuubi dying, my becoming immortal, the mission after Sasuke came back, and my apparent "death". Man, was life exhausting back then, but things are really mellow now. Too bad Kyuubi isn't here to talk to me. _

I was shaken out of my musings by an amused cough. I looked up so see both Shikamaru and Neji standing in front of me. I smiled brightly. "What's up?"

"We were just wondering if you could tell us about those haunted places you said were close by, sensei." Neji explained following in step with me as the three of us headed for my car. Man I love technology. If it wasn't for technology I wouldn't have my pride and joy here. They didn't have Firebirds back in those days. I thought back on the question.

"Sure, what do you want to know?" I replied. I leaned against the hood of my black car. The Firebird had orange racing stripes. No I still hadn't grown completely out of my trademark orange. As from both my car and my outfit. I wore now, a pair of black jeans, black shoes, and a dark orange t-shirt.

It was Shikamaru who answered. "Where is this haunted place? And how exactly is it supposed to be haunted?"

"Like I said earlier, there are two. One used to be one of their greatest Shinobi villages and the other was attacked by a monster that killed every person. Shinobi were sent to investigate the mysterious deaths and the unusual bodies, but they were also attacked. They managed to make it out alive, but one ninja suffered horribly. He was never the same after that mission.

"The Shinobi village was destroyed over two thousand years ago. No one really knows what happened to it, but it is said to be haunted by all the people who were killed. The spirits seek justice for their deaths. They have the ability to possess you and show you their memories. In fact you guys were named after a couple of ninja that died in that village. There is a cemetery that has the name of everyone who died." I stopped there. I hoped they wouldn't ask me more about what happened. Or if everyone died, because it would be hard to explain how I know all of this already.

My hope was short lived. A very observant Shikamaru asked, "How do you know all this stuff?"

I looked at my feet hoping to come up with a good explanation. Then I had a thought. I looked back up and answered. "I took an ancient civilizations course in college and heard about the village from my teacher. I went there over summer break and studied the remains. My paper on it got a high score, because of all the information I managed to collect."

Shikamaru seemed to buy my explanation but Neji still looked a little skeptical. "Any way we could go and see those haunted villages?" He asked watching my reaction closely.

I looked at him and answered honestly. "Sure, I was planning to take everybody there next week. It's going to be for a couple of days and I still need to get the permission slips ready. I was going to tell you all about it tomorrow. My classes got changed. I'm now teaching you guys about the paranormal as an actual class."

"How did that come about?" Shikamaru asked surprised.

"My boss hired a couple of new teachers and I asked if I could teach Paranormal Studies instead of history and he said yes." I reached into my jeans pocked and grabbed my keys. "I need to head out now. See you both in class tomorrow." With that, I walked toward the driver side of my car and unlocked the door and got in. Neji and Shikamaru backed away as I started the engine. They waved as I drove out of the parking lot.

_Yep, this was definitely going to be an interesting school year. I wonder what other surprises are in store for me._

**A/N: **Well here is chapter two. I know there were some confusing things in there, but everything will be explained shortly. Be patient with me.

Please read and review. Thanks.


	4. Chapter 4 chapter three

**The Forgotten Past**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

**A/N: **Here's chapter three. Thanks to all those who are taking the time to read my stories. I really appreciate it. I have a couple of song fics posted if anyone is interested in reading them.

**Chapter Three**

I pulled the car into my driveway. I shut off the engine and got out of the car. Pocketing the keys, I walked up the sidewalk that led to my two bedroom place. Unlocking the door and kicking off my shoes. I collapsed into my favorite chair. _This was an interesting day. Hell, it's been an interesting week. First I run into him* at the club and now the Rookie twelve shows up in my class. What next?_

I couldn't rest quite yet; I still had to get those permission forms typed up and send a couple of e-mails to my boss. I got up from my chair and made my way toward the second bedroom. It was supposed to be a guest room but, I never had anyone stay the night so I turned it into my office. I walked over toward my computer and turned it on. Once it was booted up I opened my Microsoft works file and started working on those forms. Once they were done, I printed off one copy and e-mailed my boss another one as well as a lunch form for two days. Little did I know that this trip was going to last much longer than two days?

Once that was finished, I headed toward the bathroom for a shower. As the hot water soaked my tired body, I thought back on the past. After I had managed to bring Sasuke back, Tsunade had sent all twelve of us on a mission. It was supposed to be a simple recon mission, but it turned out to be a fight for our lives. That was when my whole life changed.

(_Flashback*)_

_"So what's the mission, baa-chan?" I asked excitedly. I was nearly bouncing in place. The year had been going great for me. The villagers liked me now and the teme was back home. Now all twelve of us were going on a mission, nothing could spoil my good mood._

_"It's a simple mission, but the more people on it the less likely something should happen," Tsunade began, smiling at my obvious excitement. "Three days ago a number of attacks started, all of them taking place at night. The bodies of the victims were found outside their homes and completely torn up. It looked like they were attacked by a wild animal, but the officials don't believe it. I want you to find out what really happened and stop it if at all possible." Tsunade finished._

_"You said that the attacks only happen at night? Why at night?" Kurenai asked._

_"The officials believe that the creature that did this is only out at night and cannot be in the sun." Tsunade answered. "They believe that the sunlight hurts it. They also believe that the creature is immortal."_

_"Sounds like they think vampires did it." I remarked. __**I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the idea, kit. **__Kyuubi informed me. _Why not Kyu? They don't exist you know that. _I asked confused. __**Just because you've never seen one, doesn't mean it is not real. Take me for example; I exist though I'm a demon. **_But you're different. Everybody knows demons are real. _**You know there are others out there besides me and the other jinkuriki, the others don't. **_I know about them only because I've met a few of them. They thought I was you, remember?_** I still can't believe they thought that. They've gotten stupid over the years. They completely forgot how to keep themselves hidden. Too bad I can't change that. **_**Y**eah. Wish I could help with that. Better start paying attention or baa-chan will notice something is wrong. I think she suspects that we're getting along. She'd really freak if she knew just how much. _**That is why you can't mention me to anyone else. The villagers are starting to trust you now, and we don't want them to get scared if they knew the kind of things you're helping me accomplish and vice versa. **__Kyuubi paused.__** I think she asked you a question, kit.**_

__"_What was that?" I asked coming out of my internal conversation. _

_Tsunade sighed. "I asked, what made you think I thought vampires were involved." _

_"Just by the description you were using," I answered._

_"You think vampires are the only things that come out at night?"_

_"Well it can't be a demon. And werewolves don't exist. It was the only other night creature I could think of.'_

_"What makes you so sure it wasn't a demon?"_

_I thought about my answer. I chose my next words carefully, "Wellll, if demons only came out at night, don't you think that the jinkuriki that housed them would only be able to come out at that time as well?" _

_Tsunade shook her head. "You have a point gaki. Fine if it's not a demon attacks then what?"_

_(End Flash Back)_

I was yanked out of my memories by the ringing of my cell phone. I shut off the water and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around my waist, I headed toward my bedroom. I grabbed the cell phone off the nightstand and answered. "Hello."

"Uzumaki, its Yamamura. I'm just calling to let you know I got your e-mail and your trip will be in three days. That's next Monday. That okay with you?" My boss informed me.

"That should be enough time for them to get all of the signatures. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes, you will have two more teachers join you on your trip."

"Who else will be going?"

"Kakashi and Iruka volunteered."

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow*."

"Yes, see you in the morning." Yamamura hung up the phone. I hung up as well. In three days I will be taking my class to the ruins of Konoha and then to the ruins of the Village Hidden in the Shadows*. Hopefully with them along I'll finally remember what happened.

Making my way to my dresser, I grabbed a pair of pajamas and headed for bed. I fell asleep thinking of the past.

_(Naruto's Dream*)_

_I made my way down the stairs. I could still hear Neji taunting me about being afraid. It wasn't like I was afraid to go into the basement; it was just that it smelled horrible. It smelled like rotting flesh, but I couldn't tell them that without giving away my secret. The farther I went down, the worst the smell got. It also got darker as well. I reached into my ninja pack and felt around for my flashlight. All of a sudden the hairs on the back of my neck prickled and I became aware of the setting sun. Carefully I shined the light around. A crumpled form against a far wall caught my attention._

_I carefully made my way to the figure, stepping around boxes and water puddles as I did so.__I reached the fallen figure of a man, or what used to be one. The throat was completely torn out, almost like a wild animal did it. But I knew no wild animal killed this man._

_Suddenly Kyuubi snarled a warning in the back of my mind. I ducked just as a pair of hands reached for me. I whirled around to face my attacker. I gasped in horror as my blue eyes met a pair of inhuman red ones. Those hands reached for me again, and again I ducked and jumped backwards. A strong pair of arms wrapped around me from behind. I yelled in pain as a pain of sharp fangs pierced my neck._

_"Naruto?!" I could hear my name being called, but I couldn't answer. My mind screamed out a name before my eye sight faded to black. __**Kyuubi help! **__But I got no answer._

I woke up a yell still in my mouth. I sat there panting from my nightmare. Almost of its own, my hand covered a spot on my neck. Even after all these years it still hurts. I threw the covers off and shakily made my way toward the bathroom. I looked at my reflection in the mirror above the sink. The mark on my neck was evident, as were the red eyes staring back at me. It seems my past was catching up to me. I've managed to avoid him for three hundred years, but now he's found me. I guess I had to face him sometime. Face the thing that killed me all those years ago.

**A/N: **Another cliffhanger! Don't you just hate those?

Okay now onto the usual notes. I marked some sentences that I felt need some more info on. First one; I'm going to be adding a couple of more characters soon. Second one; I use flashbacks to give background info on what happened so far. I'm thinking of writing a prequel. Don't know if I will yet. Third one; is the name of the village where all the rookies were sent on a very dangerous mission. It wasn't supposed to be dangerous, but something happened. And the fourth one; dreams are the same as flashbacks. Even though they are confusing there is a purpose for them. Okay that's all for the notes.

Please read and review. Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5 chapter four

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

**A/N:** and here's the next chapter. Thanks to all of those who are taking the time to read and review my stories. Enjoy the next chapter.

**Chapter Four**

A loud noise broke through the silence of my apartment. I groaned and slammed a hand on the snooze button of my alarm clock. Man, I really did not want to go to work today, not after last night. I was finally able to go back to sleep after a couple cups of tea. The thought of HIM being this close still had me nervous.

I rolled over on my back and threw an arm over my eyes. I sighed, no use hiding in my apartment. I had a class to teach. I threw off the covers, and made my way to the closet. I grabbed the first outfit I saw and changed. Next I headed toward the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. I opened the fridge a grabbed some breakfast ingredients. After a breakfast consisting of an omelet and a couple cups of coffee I was ready for work. Grabbing my travel mug and filling it up, I headed for my car.

Fifteen minutes later I was heading toward my first class. The permission slips were sitting on my desk when I arrived. I flipped open one of my old college notebooks and searched for a discussion topic. They wanted to know about the haunted places in Japan, and then I would tell them. Five minutes later the first bell rang, and the students started pouring in. About five minutes after that, the second bell rang, signaling the start of my class.

"Ohayõ," I greeted them. They replied back. I walked around my desk to lean against the front.

Taking a breath I started my lecture. "Okay, yesterday I mentioned that there were some haunted places here in Japan. Today I thought I would tell you a little more about them. But before I get into that I need to let you know about a little field trip I have planned. I found out that the best way to learn about something is through hands on experience. So I got an idea, You want proof of ghosts and things like that, so I decided to take you to two of those place I mentioned yesterday."

I reached behind me and grabbed the stack of papers. "This is a permission slip. I need you to fill it out and have your parents or guardians sign it. The trip is Monday morning at seven o'clock a.m."

I split the pile into four and handed one to each student in the front.

I walked back to my desk and glanced at my notebook. "The first place I'm going to talk about is Konoha. It's also known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Many Shinobi died in that village. One minute the village was peaceful, the next it's in ruins. It's been said that there was a massive attack that killed everyone. But the village was supposed to be safe. Konoha is mainly haunted by those killed. Ninja and civilian alike died there. The spirits are said to be able to possess people. They do know that they are dead, but they seem to associate many living people with those that they knew back then. They act like they are still alive, going on with their lives like normal.

"The second place is The Village Hidden in the Shadows. That village is said to be haunted by spirits who died a very violent death. It is haunted by a past that cannot be explained. Many of the people died at night, leaving the authorities to suspect a night predator. Whether it is an animal or something more deadly they don't know. The Kage sent word to Konoha to send a team or more of ninjas to investigate the murders. Konoha replied that they were sending four teams, sixteen ninja total; four jonin and twelve genin. Everyone managed to make it back to their own village in one piece, everyone except one ninja. There was only one casualty, a genin."

I stopped my lecture there. I knew there were going to be questions and I wanted to answer as many of them before class was over. I looked over my class, at the many raised hands. I spotted two familiar hands. I knew they were going to have questions.

"Okay Shikamaru, you first," I called.

The Nara asked, "What kind of attack could have killed that many people?"

"I don't really know. They said it must have been a powerful jutsu, at least an S rank jutsu."

"S Rank jutsu? What's that?" Ino asked.

"Jutsu's were classified according to their difficulty. D rank was the most common and easiest to learn. S ranks were almost always forbidden, because most of them resulted in the Nin's death, that or they drained all of their chakra."

"Is Konoha really haunted? Have you actually seen a spirit?" 'Hinata shyly asked.

"As a matter of fact, I have, many of them. I used to go to those ruins a lot in college."

"College wasn't the only time you've been there, was it?" Neji asked curiously.

"You're right. I went there many times after college as well."

"Why?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm trying to find out what happened, how that village got destroyed." I paused. "An old friend of mine requested it before she died. That attack was never meant to happen, and she wanted to know why."

"How would someone know about something that happened a long time ago?" Sasuke asked.

Here was where I paused to consider my answer. After a long pause I answered, "She was the ancestor of the Godamie Hokage of Konoha. She wanted to know what happened to her grandmother's village."

"How are you going to find out what happened?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm hoping some of the spirits saw the attack and remembered."

"Do you think the attack is what keeps them in this world?"

"I'm pretty sure it is, though I don't know if they'll leave even if I find out what happened."

"How much about the attack do you know?" Sakura asked.

"Hmm… Let's see…" I picked up my notebook and turned to the correct page.

"You keep notes?" Shikamaru asked surprised.

"Well duh, how else am I supposed to remember everything?" I asked sarcastically.

"Sorry, it's that you don't seem like the type of person to do that."

"Gee, thanks," I replied rolling my eyes. Even not remembering who I was, he still managed to read me too well. Man, what have I gotten myself into? This trip was going to much harder than I thought. At this rate they might remember everything, and then I'll have a lot of questions to answer. But then again, I won't have to hide who I am from them if they do remember.

"Let's see…what I found out so far is this…The person who cast the jutsu was a high ranking ninja and possibly a criminal. It is said that he attacked the village in hope to draw out a certain person. But that person had already left the village hoping to draw the attackers to him. He wanted to protect the people of the village.

"But the ninja attacked the village instead. When the other ninja got back to the village it was in ruins. And everyone was dead, ninja and civilian alike."

"Why would the attacker be after only that one ninja? What was he after?" Sasuke questioned.

"The ninja he was after was special. Back then demons were common, you could run into them anytime, but a few of them were special. They were called the tailed demons. There were nine of them total, the one-tailed was the weakest and the nine-tailed was the strongest. The attacker had already managed to capture the rest of them, but the nine-tailed demon kept eluding him. So he decided to go after him himself."

"This tailed demon was a ninja?"

"Actually she was sealed into a ninja."

"She?"

"Yeah, the nine-tailed was a female kitsune."

"How do you know all this stuff?"

"Most of it I got from that friend of mine. The rest of it I got from the spirits of Konoha."

"What was the name of the demon and the ninja she was sealed inside?" Ino asked.

"The demon's name was Kyuubi." I paused. "The ninja's name is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hey, isn't that your name?" Neji asked.

Shikamaru frowned; I could see he was putting the pieces together. "What happened to the demon? You spoke of her in the past tense but spoke of the ninja in the present tense."

"Kyuubi died, in the war."

"What war?"

"The demon/human war, it was a war that spread all across Japan. Many humans and demons died that year. After a hundred years of fighting they finally made peace between the two species."

"That still doesn't explain why you spoke about the ninja in the present tense."

I was saved from answering by the arrival of my boss.

"Change of plans Naruto. The trip is going to be tomorrow. You will also have three more teachers going with you as well." Yamamura said entering the room.

"Who will be going also? And what about the permission slips?"

"The permission slips all already taken care of. I had a meeting with the parents early this morning. And the three other staff members are Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai."

"Ah…alright, then I'll finish the notes tonight. It'll probably take us about two hours to get to the forest then another two hour walk to Konoha from there."

"Alright then, I'll let the others know the new schedule. See you later." With that my boss left the classroom.

"Sounds like you all may be getting out a little early to prepare for tomorrow. So I'll finish up this conversation tomorrow."

Five minutes later the bell rang and soon everyone was on their way home.

I headed home as well. I had a lot to prepare for. But first I had a friend to see. So instead of going straight home, I headed for the "Blood Moon Club and Bar".

Arriving at the club I parked my car and waved hello to the bouncer standing by the door.

"Hey Kisame is Itachi inside?" I asked the dark skinned male guarding the entrance.

"Oh! Hey Naruto! Hai, he's working at the bar as usual."

"Well, I'm going in to talk to him for awhile. I have a class trip in the morning, so I'd thought I'd stop by before I left."

"Good luck, I have a feeling you're going to need it with all those kids."

"Yeah, so do I." after a brief chat with Kisame, I headed inside the Club. Inside I headed straight to the bar. Spotting the dark haired man at the counter, I yelled, "Hey Itachi!"

Itachi looked up from the drink he was fixing, and called back, "Hey, Naruto. What's up? You want the usual?"

"That'd be fine. How's the club doing?" I said walking up the bar and taking a seat.

"It's getting to be pretty popular. Thank you for giving me a chance."

"You deserved it, it's the least I could do. Besides, this place is doing a lot better now that you're running it. I mean look at all the people." I waved my hand encompassing the large crowd. It was a typical Friday night; the club was packed with young and single people looking for a happening place to relax. The club was a 21+ club, because the drinks served are mostly alcoholic.

"You do have a point. But I still want to say thanks. If it hadn't been for you Kisame and I would still be in that gang." Itachi paused, "you got us out of there and gave us a home and a job."

"Like I said, you deserve it." I paused, "Now for the reason for my visit. I'm taking my class on a trip. We're heading for the ruins on the other side of the forest. They want to learn about spirits and haunted places. So I thought I'd take them there for some firsthand experience."

"You sure that's a good idea? What about that thing that's hunting you?"

"I guess I'm going to have to take my chances. I can't run from him forever. I have to face my past someday, why not where it all started?"

"I guess you're right. Just be careful."

"Thanks, my friend. Well, I'd better get home, so I can prepare for the trip. I'll stop by when I get back."

"You do that. Better say goodbye to Kisame on your way out."

"Will do," with that I finished my drink and headed for the exit. I paused to have another word with Kisame, and then I headed for my car. I drove home and parked my car. After I unlocked the front door and kicked off my shoes, I headed for my office. I grabbed my pack and threw some clothes and my notes into it. Then I headed for the shower.

After a quick shower, I went to my bedroom with one of my notebooks in hand. Flipping through it, I found my last entry. Remembering my dream from last night, I wrote what had happened down. I hoped to not have to live through it on my trip, but I didn't count on being that lucky. After jotting it down, I got into bed, and fell asleep.

**A/N: **and that's chapter four. I should have chapter five up real soon.

Read and review. Ja Ne.


	6. Chapter 6 chapter five

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Naruto.

**A/N: **Thanks for the great reviews. And here's the next chapter. It's the first part of the one you all have been waiting patiently for.

**Chapter Five**

Saturday morning found me inside my class finishing up the preparations for the trip, when my boss walked in followed by five other people. I immediately recognized the others with him. There were Kurenai, Asuma, Gai, Kakashi and Iruka; I walked over to where they were waiting.

"You ready for this?" I asked them.

"Yes, my youthful comrade. This should be a very enlightening experience for our young charges." Gai replied flashing a bright grin.

I inwardly laughed, that was so like him. _I wonder if "bushy brows" still takes after him. I'm surprised he hasn't talked much during class. Well, that'll probably change during this trip._

"That's good to hear. Have you ever seen a ghost?"

"Not personally, no."

"Well this will be an interesting experience for you." Just then I heard the voices of my students coming down the hall.

"Looks like everyone is here, I'm going to go grab the lunches, and then we'll head out." I said as I left the room. Five minutes later, I was back in the class room, "Alright, our ride is in front to the school. It'll be about a two hour drive to the forest, and then we'll have to walk the rest of the way from there."

"Why do we have to walk?" Sakura asked annoyed.

"Because the roads are not drivable, the forest is too thick."

"Besides, it's not like many people want to visit a haunted village." Shikamaru pointed out.

"Well, let's get going," I said leading the way out of the classroom. We boarded the bus and soon we were on our way.

Two hours later, we arrived at the forest. We all left the bus and gathered outside it. I stood in the center of our group. "Now we walk from here," I said, leading the way. Another two hours found us arriving at the end of the forest. As soon as I stepped into the clearing the memories assaulted me. I cried out and collapsed on my knees, the memories taking me back to that fateful day.

(Flashback)

_I ran through the forest hoping I wasn't too late. Why did I even leave? I should have known he'd go after my friends. Anyone who knew me knew that I'd protect them first. _

_I burst through the forest, and then came to a complete stop. I fell to my knees, an inhuman sound escaping my throat. It was gone; the whole village was completely gone. I shakily got to my feet and again started forward. I passed by the bodies of the fallen ninja, my eyes seeking for those heartfelt familiar faces. I stopped dead in my tracks, and then I just stared. _

"_No, this can't be happening," I whispered in a broken voice. I walked closer to the still body of my best friend. I collapsed at his side, my hands shaking as I turned his still body over. I was instantly covered in blood. It poured out of the gaping wound in his stomach, coating the grass in a blanket of red. "Sasuke…" I whispered. Another fallen figure caught my attention next, her blue eyes staring at me lifelessly. "Ino…" I gently gathered her body in my arms and cried. I just broke down, my friends…_

_I gathered my strength and continued on my way. I had to know if anyone could have survived. I passed through the ruins of what was the entrance of the village. I passed the shattered check point and made my way through the ruins of what was then my home. I walked though the ruins passing by collapsed buildings and vendors, passing by bodies of ninja and civilian alike. I unconsciously made my way toward the Hokage Tower, seeking one comforting presence. She had to be alive, I don't know what I'd do if she wasn't. I passed by familiar sites, and paused when I reached the academy entrance. I reluctantly made my way into the crumbling building, walking the familiar halls, searching for someone. I found him in my old classroom. "Iruka-sensei…" he had died protecting the students. His bloody body was covering another's protectively. I searched the room; I spotted couple of familiar forms. Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon were there helping to protect the younger students. I spotted Choji's familiar form as well. I left the academy and continued on my way toward the tower._

_I stopped at the entrance, and stared at the tall structure in disbelief. There was hardly anything left, the building was barely standing. But I had to know, so I continued toward the structure. The entrance was completely inaccessible, so I jumped to the window at the entrance to baa-chan's office. I avoided the broken glass as I climbed inside; I immediately spotted the blonde crumpled figure of the Godamie Hokage. I rushed over to her side. "Baa-chan…" I whispered gathering her fallen body into my arms. I dropped my head onto her chest and cried and cried. I couldn't stop the tears from falling, "How could this have happened? How did he have that much power?" I whispered into the air. My questions went unanswered. As I sat there cradling her broken body, I saw a sight that just broke me. Whatever composure I had left fled, and a strangled cry left my throat as I gently laid Tsunade's body down and crawled over to his side. "Shika…" I whispered, collapsing onto his crumpled form. "No, no, no…" I moaned in despair. I lay there, for how long I don't know, but I just couldn't bring myself to move, to leave him. "Koi…how did this happen?" but my love gave me no answer._

_(End flashback)_

I became aware of a hand on my shoulder. I also became aware of the tears coursing down my face. I slowly came out of my memories, and back to the present. I recognized the hand on my shoulder. It was Iruka. His concerned voice reached my ears, "…Naruto? Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

I lifted my tear-stained face to find concerned brown eyes searching my sad blue ones. "Y-yeah…I-I'll be okay…" I managed to get out. I shakily got to my feet and saw everyone had gathered around us.

"What happened, sensei?" Hinata asked concerned.

"A very bad memory." I answered more in control of my emotions. I looked around and saw the crumpled pillars in the distance. I turned my gaze to the people surrounding me. "Konoha is on the other side of those pillars there," I said pointing straight ahead.

"You sure you're okay?" Shikamaru asked walking close to my side as we started moving. I looked into those concerned black eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. This place has a lot of memories for me, and not all of them are good." I answered, easily keeping place with him.

Shikamaru was about to ask another question, but a delighted squeal interrupted him. "Naruto-kun, you finally came back."

Everyone just stared in complete shock as a younger version of Ino ran up to me. I caught the flying figure with a laugh. "I promised didn't I?"

"Yep, and you never go back on your promises do you?"

"Not if I can help it."

"So is there a special reason for this unexpected visit?"

"Actually there is, I'm here with my class."

"Oh, that's right! You told me about being a teacher the last time you were here. What was is it that you taught? I think you said history, paranormal…something like that."

"It's called paranormal studies." I said as we continued on our way, ignoring the incredulous looks we were receiving. This happened every time I came here so I'm used to it.

As we passed by Sakura and our Ino, I heard Sakura whisper, "Hey Ino, that looks just like you. How is that?"

"Don't know, ya think she's a ghost?" Ino said, staring at her younger self.

"She looks pretty real to me." Sakura replied. She and Ino looked at each other, and then decided to follow me. The rest of our group came to the same conclusion.

We continued our walk toward the village, with ghost Ino chatting up a storm. She was filling me in on what has been going on since my last visit.

We stopped when we reached the gates, or what used to be a gate. "So, are you going to see everyone else while you're here?"

"I'll try; I only have a day here, though."

"Why such a short time? You have somewhere else to go?"

"They want to see the Village Hidden in the Shadows, before we head back."

"That creepy place, are you serious? Do they know what happened there?" Ino sounded horrified. "I'm still trying to get used to that fact that you aren't dead. I mean you died in Shika's arms."

"What do you mean he died?" Sakura interrupted. "How can that be?"

Ghost Ino turned to face everyone else, and then she explained, "Tsunade sent us on a mission to a village. It was supposed to be a simple recon mission, but something horrible happened. Naruto got attacked. We thought he died. I mean Shika found him and his heart stopped. But three years after the attack, he shows up in the village, completely fine, but he didn't remember the attack."

"Where did he go?"

"We don't know, he never remembered." Ino turned back to me, "any memory now?"

"The only thing I remember is going down the stairs after Neji dared me too. I had just reached the bottom of the stairs and found another body. Kyuubi snarled a warning and I spun around. There behind me was a creature; I can't really remember what it looked like though. Anyways, I jumped out of the way and into the grasp of another one. I remember a sharp pain in my neck, and then everything went black. And that's it."

"Still no closer to knowing what happened to you back then. Hmmm…I wonder if we'll ever find out what really happened." Ghost Ino said deep in thought.

We arrived at the crumbled gates of Konoha. I heard more than on shocked gasp as we entered the village's ruins. I looked back at the others and saw thoughtfulness on the faces of Shikamaru and Neji. Something had their interest peaked.

I grinned and asked, "What's got your attention?"

"This place feels familiar. It's like I've been here before." Shikamaru answered, with Neji nodding in agreement.

They didn't know how right they were. I just shook my head and continued walking. Just as we passed the entrance check point, I was yet again tackled by a familiar figure.

I yelled in shock as we both fell to the ground. I looked into the smiling brown eyes of Konohamaru. I laughed and looked over his shoulder to see Udon and Moegi standing there as well.

"Naruto-sama, you came back!" Konohamaru yelled. "I missed you; don't stay away so long next time, okay?"

"I'll try not, too." I laughed again as he finally let me get back to my feet. Shikamaru was there with an outstretched hand. I grabbed his hand as he hauled me to my feet. I smiled thanks and turned to the three chunin eagerly waiting my attention.

"Have you all been behaving while I was gone?"

"Hai," a chorus of answers came back.

I laughed; this was a much welcome sight. It was so good to see them like this. I turned to my class and fellow teachers. I waved to the trio and introduced them. "This is Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi. I've known them since they were genin." The last part just came out naturally. I got a few confused looks, but no one asked any questions, which surprised me. I sneaked a look towards Shikamaru and Neji again, trying to judge their expression. They had the same thoughtful look on as before.

"So, is there any place in particular you want to go or to see?" I asked the gathered group. They all shook their heads. I turned back toward the trio of ninjas. "You have a special place you want to take them?"

Ghost Ino was the one who answered my question. "Why don't you show them the training grounds?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

I noticed the grin and smiled back. I knew exactly what she was up to. The training grounds were, where we will most likely find either Sasuke or Lee or both. And they were probably going to challenge me to a spar. I could hardly wait.

**A/N: **that's a good place to end this chapter. Tell me what you think. Read and review people. Ja Ne.


	7. Chapter 7 chapter six

**Disclaimer: ** Does it look like I own Naruto? Didn't think so...

**A/N: ** And here's chapter six. Thanks to all my reviewers. You've been so patient with me.

Chapter Six

A half an hour found us at what used to be Team Seven's training grounds, and just as I'd predicted, there was Sasuke and Lee. If a spar didn't bring back any memories, then I didn't know what would.

I called out to the two, "Hey Sasuke, Hey Lee."

The two guys waved back. "Hey, my youthful friends, long time no see." Lee called out enthusiastically.

Sasuke called with his familiar smirk, "Hey, dobe, how about a spar?"

I laughed and answered his taunt, "sure thing, teme! I'll kick your ass this time like I did last time!"

"Whatever, dobe, you never beat me in a spar before, and you're sure as hell not going to this time." Sasuke taunted.

"We'll see about that." I said, getting into my favorite Taijutsu stance. It was an Anbu stance. I was, after all, an ex-Anbu.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and copied my stance. Then he started to circle me, like a panther stalking his prey. I remained still and just watched him circle me, since I knew what was coming. In a flash of movement Sasuke came at me with a kick to the head, I dodged and countered with a kick of my own, which was blocked.

Our spars were always like this. We knew each other's movements so well, that we knew exactly what the other would do, and this fight was no different.

Our fight seemed to go on forever, with each attack and counter. There was no way we'd finish this fight using just Taijutsu and no weapons, but I didn't have any weapons on me, but that problem was soon solved with the arrival of Tenten.

"Hey Naruto-kun," she called out to me with a wave. I blocked a punch and waved back.

"This fight is going to last forever if they go on like this." Ino observed.

"Naruto-kun doesn't have any weapons on him?"

"Iie," Ino answered.

"Hmm... maybe I can help with that." She said pulling a katana out of her pack.

"A katana?" Sakura asked.

"This is a special katana. I made it for Naruto-kun myself. It is specially designed for his chakra." She explained walking over to where we continued our spar. "Naruto-kun," she called out.

I blocked Sasuke's punch and turned toward Tenten. "Yeah," I called back. She walked towards me and held out the katana for me to take. I looked at the katana and then at Tenten. My confusion was evident.

She laughed and said, "I made that for you. I knew you didn't have one, so I made that for the next time you came here."

I flashed her bright smile and said, "Arigatõ." Then I turned back to the waiting Sasuke. I held up my new katana and he walked over to his things to grab his own Kodaichi. Now our fight was going to get interesting. I looked at my new sword and wondered what it could do. I knew that this wasn't just any katana. It had a power, but what that power was, I didn't know.

Well, there was only one way to find out. I grinned again and took my position. I looked again at my new sword and suddenly got an idea. Sasuke could be a long distance fighter if he wanted to. I thought about a weapon that could be used as both, and to my astonishment, the katana changed form. I grinned and looked at Sasuke. The teme had a stunned look on his face. I then turned to Tenten, who was wearing a shit-eating grin. I laughed and returned my attention to Sasuke and our fight. This was definitely going to get interesting. The katana turned in to a weapon that had a scythe at one end and a kunai on the other attached with a long chain.

Once again we took out separate stances. This time our spar was a lot more brutal. Out slashes more forceful than before. Chakra clashed as bodies came together with tremendous force. Our chakra seemed to increase with each blow. I was no longer sparring in regards to returning my comrades memory, but for the sheer adrenaline of the fight. I missed these fights, I never really realized how much until now.

Ghost Ino watched the fight with interest. She could tell that my mind wasn't on my friends' memories. So she decided to take matters into her own hands. She flashed a grin at Tenten and headed to where the younger Ino stood. Still wearing that mischievous grin she reached a hand out to touch the other Ino and disappeared.

A painful yell startled me out of my fight with Sasuke. I turned towards my class and saw Ino on the ground clutching her head. I immediately rushed to her side.

"Ino? What's wrong?" I asked kneeling at her side.

"My head, it feels like it's going to split open." She answered between gasps of pain.

I picked her up and turned towards Tenten, absently wondering where the other Ino went, and asked, "Is there somewhere where I can take her to rest?"

Tenten nodded and said, "Follow me?" With her leading the way, we headed back towards the village. I noticed that the others were unusually silent. I turned to look back at them and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Iruka was the one that spoke up, "No, not really. We're just curious about the village."

"Anything you want to know just ask?" I reminded him. He nodded, but didn't say anything else. A few minutes later Tenten led us to a run-down, but otherwise decent, building. I recognized it immediately. "This is your place, huh?" I asked. Tenten nodded in response and led us upstairs to one of the bedrooms. I gently place Ino, who had fallen unconscious, on the bed and took a seat at her side. The others stood uneasily around the foot of the bed. I looked up from my student and turned towards Tenten and suggested, "Why don't you show everyone else around?"

Tenten nodded and led everyone else out of the room.

I wearily slumped in the chair and tried to relax. This was not at all going the way I hoped it would. Not only were they not talking to me, but Ino had had enough of being patient and decided to take matters into her own hands. I just hope she knows what she's doing.

(_Time skip 3 hours)_

A low moan awoke me from my nap. I looked over to the bed to see Ino stirring. I quickly rose from my chair and knelt down beside her.

"Ino," I called softly. She stirred, but didn't open her eyes. I called her name again, and this time light blue eyes fluttered open.

Ino looked around the room in confusion before coming to rest on a pair of worried blue eyes. "Naruto?"

"Hai," I answered, relief flooding through my entire body.

"What's wrong? You look so sad," Ino asked.

"Nothing I was just worried about you," I answered.

Ino gave me a gentle smile and then suddenly, that gentle smile turned mischievous. I had a bad feeling. I knew I had seen that look somewhere before. Then it hit me; that was the look the Ino in my past always wore when she was thinking of ways to cause trouble.

My confused blue eyes met a now familiar blue. My jaw dropped in shock. "You remember?!" it was a statement not a question. Her smile only got wider. My gut twisted, and I swallowed a sudden lump in my throat. _This was not going to be fun. _I thought to myself.

Ino smirked as she saw how uncomfortable I was. She then decided to test her friend's patience. "So Naruto," she began, "what have you really been up to these last couple of centuries?"

I sighed. This was going to be a long day. I could only hope that Tenten came back soon. I once again made myself comfortable and started my long story.

"Well," I began, "it's like this…"

**A/N: ** I know that it took me longer to update, but I had a sudden case of writer's block. But that problem is now solved and I'll be posting a lot more often now.

Till next time. Read and Review. Ja Ne.


	8. Chapter 8 chapter seven

**Disclaimer: **Guess what….Naruto is still not mine.

**A/N: ** And here's chapter seven, sorry it took so long for me to update, had other things to take care of, AKA, work.

_(Blah)_=flashbacks

"Blah"=talking

_Blah_=telepathy and Naruto talking to Kyuubi

**Blah**= Kyuubi talking

Chapter Seven

"And then you passed out and I carried you here to Tenten's place." I finished. That had taken approximately three hours to explain. Telling two thousand years worth of history is not easy.

"Wow," Ino breathed. There was more to take in than she thought. Who would have guessed that Naruto could accomplish all of that, not to mention win a hundred year long war? "You still keep in touch with your demon friends?" she asked.

"Not really. The only one I really considered a friend was Koga and I haven't seen him in about a hundred years," I answered truthfully.

Ino exclaimed, "A hundred years?! You've been friends that long?" Ino couldn't imagine living a hundred years. But Naruto had lived much longer than that and it was quite evident. Time had begun to takes its toll on the young kitsune; well, not so young now. Still, he acted like the Naruto she remembered. Then she remembered something else he mentioned. "Hey, Naruto," she called.

"Hmmm…" I muttered distractedly.

"You mentioned something about Uchia Itachi. What about him?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what happened to him? You mentioned running into him after you left Konoha, but you never mentioned what happened when you saw him."

"Huh. Well, it's kind of complicated." I said hoping she wouldn't ask any more questions, but my hope was short lived.

"Explain it anyway." Ino insisted.

I forgot how stubborn she could be. She's about as stubborn as me. Maybe that's why we got along so well. I sighed and gave in to the inevitable. "When I came across him he was dying. There was nothing I could do for Kisame, but I gave Itachi a choice. He could either die here or he could start over."

"What do you mean start over?" Ino paused as an idea came to her. "Wait a minute…You don't mean…?"

I nodded. "Yep, I turned him."

Ino got ready to ask another question, but was interrupted by the door to the bedroom opening.

"Ino, you're awake!" Exclaimed a pink blur as it pounced on top of the blonde girl.

"Sakura, calm down," I said pulling my student off of her friend. Sakura reluctantly got off of the now struggling Ino. Ino shot me a relieved look, to which I gave a smile in return.

Ino threw off the covers and swung her legs out of the bed. I stepped up to her side and offered my arm, which she gladly took, and rose unsteadily to her feet.

"You sure you should be moving around so soon?" Sakura asked her friend.

Ino just smiled and held onto my arm. I looked around the room and noticed one set of brown eyes watching Ino curiously. I smiled; Shikamaru noticed something different about Ino. A glance at Ino told me that she noticed it too. Leave it to the Nara genius to figure it out. Even without his memories Shikamaru still caught on pretty quick.

I turned my attention back towards Ino, and noticed her look. I cocked a brow at her. She just shrugged and made her way out of the room. I followed close behind.

Sakura shot us a confused look, but she and the others quickly caught up.

Ghost Tenten and Sasuke exchanged a look, and headed towards their younger selves. I turned around just in time to see both Tenten and Sasuke collapse just like Ino had done. I smirked as I helped Kiba get Sasuke on his feet and back inside. A glace to my right showed Ino and Sakura supporting Tenten.

"Let's take them back upstairs." The others nodded and followed Kiba and I up the stairs. Once back upstairs we laid Tenten down on the bed and I went to the hall closet and grabbed a spare futon for Sasuke to sleep on. Then I asked a couple of the others to keep an eye on them and to come get me the moment either of them woke up. After leaving those instructions I left Tenten's place and headed for the training grounds. I could feel Shikamaru and Ino following me, but I ignored them for now.

I stopped when I reached my old team's training grounds. I stood in front of those three familiar pillars. I walked closer so I could run my hand down the middle one, memories taking me back to those fateful days. Days long before my life changed. A shift in the air around me let me know about another's presence.

I didn't even turn around as I addressed my companion. "Aren't you supposed to be working, Itachi?"

"Aren't you supposed to be giving you class a history lesson?" Itachi countered.

I laughed and replied, "Touché."

Itachi walked closer to me concern in his dark eyes. "What's wrong?"

I glanced at him startled. "Huh?"

"Something's wrong, I can feel it."

I looked to the ground and replied voice soft, "this place, the memories are overwhelming sometimes. It's hard to sort them all out."

Itachi looked around the training grounds, his expression thoughtful. "You know I haven't been here since my clan was killed."

I glanced at him again and smiled. "You lost in memories? What brought this on?"

Itachi smirked, "Hn."

I snorted a laugh, typical Uchia answer. I stretched and then sat on the cool grass back against the pillar. It was getting really hard to find time to just relax. A few minutes later Itachi settled down next to me. I stole a glance at my silent companion and remarked, "Brings back memories, huh?"

Itachi nodded. "We used to have a lot more time to just relax and talk. But then Koga asked you to help in that war." Itachi paused to let out a breath, "a hundred years! What were they thinking?"

I laughed at his exasperated expression. "They're human, what do you expect? It's in their nature. Human nature dictates that you should fear what you don't know or understand and demons are the main reason for most of their fear."

Itachi snorted. "Let's just hope that most of them aren't that stupid anymore, especially your friends."

I laughed again, but silently agreed. Then a thought struck me, "hey Itachi, why did you come here anyway?"

Itachi tuned towards me before he answered. "You seemed upset. Your thoughts were dwelling on the past and I got worried."

I smiled and said, "Thanks for coming."

Itachi nodded and settled back against the pillar again.

A soft cough interrupted our silence this time. I looked over to see both Ino and Shikamaru walking towards us. I had forgotten that they were still here. I smiled at them and waved both of them over. They walked closer and settled on the grass across from me and Itachi.

"What's up?" I asked them curiously.

It was Shikamaru that answered my question. "Just wondering where you were going."

Itachi chuckled and said, "Looks I'm not the only one who's worried about you."

I blushed but didn't comment. Itachi chuckled again, clearly reading my thoughts. I glared at him, but he ignored me and settled back against the pillar again and closed his eyes.

I looked over at him, concern in my blue eyes and remarked, "You work too hard. You get tired too easily nowadays."

Itachi snorted and countered, "Like you don't? You end up coming over to my club more times to relax than you used to. You're just as stressed as me."

I smirked and said, "We need another vacation. Where do you want to go this time?"

Itachi smirked and answered, "Paris. I would love to go see Paris again. I wonder how much of it has changed."

I shrugged and turned my attention back towards Shikamaru and Ino. Ino was listening to our conversation curiously and Shikamaru seemed lost in thought.

I asked him, using a familiar nickname without thinking, "Something on your mind, Shika?"

Itachi shot me a look, but remained silent. _You do just realize what you called him?_

I shot him a startled look, _no. What did I say?_

_You called him Shika, _Itachi answered.

I stared at him for a moment in shock. I hadn't realized that I had used my nickname for him. I looked towards Shikamaru and breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't noticed my slip.

"First Ino faints, and then Sasuke and Tenten, What is up with it all?" Shikamaru said, thinking out loud.

I was about to answer when I spotted a familiar figure walking towards us. I cocked my head; it was a ghost of Shikamaru and another of Choji. I looked towards Ino and saw her looking in the same direction.

She cocked a brow, clearly wondering what they were up to. I looked towards Itachi next, but the Uchia's eyes were still closed. I was about to ask what the two ghosts where doing here, but the arrival of Iruka stopped me.

"Naruto," Iruka called walking towards us.

I looked towards him and answered, "Over here."

Iruka walked towards us glancing curiously at Itachi before addressing me, "You said to come and get you when Tenten and Sasuke woke up."

"Oh, right. Well let's go." I said, rising to my feet. I looked back down at Itachi and asked, "You coming?"

Itachi nodded and stood as well.

Ino suddenly grabbed my arm and attached herself to my side. I looked over at her startled, and noticed the look in her eyes. She was up to something, I just knew it.

Ino smiled sweetly before walking towards the village, pulling me with her. I sighed but obediently followed behind her. Once we were out of sight of the others, Ino confronted me.

"Why didn't you tell me that you can speak to Itachi without using your voice?"

I sighed. "The term is telepathy. And it's a vampire thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Telepathy is a way for master and fledgling to keep in touch with each other. It's part of their bond," I explained. At Ino's confused look, I continued, "When a master vampire offers a dying human a chance at a new life, they literally are offering up their life for that human. Once the human becomes a fledgling, they are fed by their master, thus making an eternal bond. That bond allows for them to read each other's thoughts, emotions, and communicate without speaking."

"What other things can you do?"

I thought for a minute before I answered. "I can shape-shift, move things with my mind, control all the elements, and make myself invisible."

Ino's eyes had widened with each thing I listed off, "no shit?"

I nodded, laughing at her awestruck expression.

Ino's expression turned thoughtful before she fired off another question, "Is there anything else about this eternal bond I should know?"

My expression turned guarded and Ino noticed it immediately. She cocked a brow and said, "What is it?"

I sighed, and reluctantly answered, "There can sometimes be a physical attraction between master and fledgling."

"Say what?" Ino yelled.

I laughed at her shocked expression, "You heard me."

"You and Itachi…" Ino left the rest of the sentence unfinished.

I nodded.

Ino shook her head in amazement, then another thought came to her, "What about the vampire who turned you?"

I stiffened at that. "What about him?" I growled the words.

Ino stopped walking and turned to me. "Was he not the one who looked after you when we thought you had died?"

I shook my head no and said, "That was another vampire."

"Tell me," she coaxed.

I sighed, but answered. "After my body died and you guys left, I was found by another vampire, a female vampire. She saw what had happened to me and decided to claim me as her fledgling and help me with my new life." I paused as the memories returned to me, "She took me far from that village. She had a cabin deep in the mountains. She stayed there with me and showed me all the things I could do. When she first found me, I was almost dead." I stopped there.

"Then what happened?"

I didn't answer. The memories of those first few moments of my waking were consuming my thoughts.

_(Flashback)_

_My blue eyes slowly opened as I tried to get a feel for what was going on around me. I tried to sit up, only to fall back down. A soft hand was place on my shoulder as an unfamiliar voice spoke, "Easy now, you don't want to move too quickly." The voice was soft with a musical quality to it._

_My blue eyes searched the area around me before they fell on a soft form at my side. Her midnight black hair fell around her shoulders in soft waves and her green eyes held nothing but warmth. She smiled softly at me before bending close and whispering in an unfamiliar language. My eyes once again fluttered closed as a haze seemed to envelope my mind._

_The next time I woke it was later. Much later I noticed. I slowly sat up, and tried once again to get my bearings. I was lying on a soft bed; the sheets were an emerald green with a matching blanket. The nightstand and dresser were made with a dark wood that matched the navy theme of the room perfectly._

_I swung my legs off the bed and slowly stood, I was shaky, but my legs held my weight. I wandered over to the bedroom door and opened it to look outside. I followed the long hallway to the stair case and headed downstairs. _

_I stopped on the last stair and just stared. There she was. I had thought that she was just a dream, but no, she was real. She wore an emerald green spaghetti strap top and a black skirt that stopped just above her knees. She turned her warm eyes to me and smiled. _

_She waved me over and I followed her into the spacious living room she sat down on a cream colored sofa and motioned for me to sit next to her. Once I was seated, she turned to me and explained what was going on. _

_(End flashback)_

I was pulled from my memories by Ino's worried voice.

Ino asked, her tone worried, "Naruto? Are you okay?"

I gave her a somewhat shaky smile and answered, "Yeah just got lost in a memory."

Ino cocked a brow and said, "Must have been a hell of a memory."

I laughed and replied, "You don't know the half of it."

**A/N; **sorry it took so long for me to update. But I did give you a longer chapter.

Now for a short preview: Next chapter, the Village Hidden in the Shadows and Naruto's past revealed.

Until next time read and review. Ja Ne


	9. Chapter 9 chapter eight

**Disclaimer: **You know the routine…. Don't own.

**A/N; **Well not much to say, here's chapter eight. Sorry for the long wait. But I'm back and more chapters are coming soon.

Chapter Eight

The Village Hidden in the Shadows

Ino and I continued our conversation on the walk to the village. I briefly paused at the familiar ramen shop and remarked to my companion, "You know, I haven't had a good bowl of ramen in years."

Ino shot me and incredulous look. "Did I hear you right?"

I smiled at her expression. "Yes, you heard right. One of the things that I had to get used to was the changes in food." I made a sour face, "They didn't have ramen during the war. I was stuck eating whatever was available at the time."

Ino gave me a sympathetic smile and said, "Sounds tough."

"The war was hard on everyone," Itachi remarked, catching up with us.

"What started the war?"

"Fear," I answered bitterly.

Ino asked, "Fear? What of?"

"Fear of those who are different. You know, demons and humans who don't look quite human in others eyes."

"Don't look like human? What do you mean?"

"I mean a person who has one or two things about them that aren't normal. Like tails, gills, or any other abnormality."

"Humans started a war just because you guys looked different than everyone else!" Ino exclaimed in shock.

"That's the way it's always been. Look at my life. The villagers treated me like shit because I was a jinchuuriki." I reminded her.

Ino looked at the ground and replied sadly, "I know and we didn't treat you any better."

"Hey cheer up, don't worry about it. I have no hard feelings for you guys. Besides, you more than made up for it later." I said trying to comfort my friend.

Ino looked up and flashed me a gentle smile. "So what are your plans now? I mean you guys still going to that village in the morning?"

I was about to answer when I got distracted. I looked east and noticed that the sun was setting. It was night already? Where had the day gone? I shot Itachi a look and saw that he too was watching the setting sun.

Now normally, the setting sun wouldn't bother us, but with both that haunted village and that thing stalking me, we had more than enough to worry about. The best thing we could do was find a place to spend the night.

I looked towards Ino to notice that she had been watching Itachi and me. She turned towards me with a questioning look. "Do you happen to know of a place where we could stay the night?"

Ino nodded and we headed back to Tenten's place to gather up the rest of our group.

Upon arriving at Tenten's place Sasuke was the first one to greet us. He shot his brother a startled look, but didn't question his appearance. Instead he turned to me and asked, "What do you have planned for the rest of the night?"

I smirked and answered, "Ino's going to show us a place to stay for the night and I'll probably be spending most of the night answering questions or telling about this place. Now that you have your memories back you guys can help with that."

Sasuke groaned in irritation, but otherwise didn't complain.

I laughed as I headed up the stairs to tell the others the new plans.

A few minutes later Ino led us to the abandoned hospital. Besides for the crumbling doorway and ceiling, the hospital was still in pretty good shape.

As we strolled through the empty halls, my unease with hospitals started to creep in on me. No matter where I was I still hated hospitals with a passion.

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(The next morning)

The conversation around me grew silent as my friends noticed the ever growing tension in my body. Even the ones, who didn't have their memories back, noticed my odd mood.

The trees around us had steadily been thinning out and now we stood at the edge of the forest, my feet no longer able to continue the trek forward. Oh, how I hated this place. If it hadn't been for Shikamaru's and Neji's insistence, we wouldn't even be here.

A sudden sharp pain in the side of my neck had me crying out and falling to my knees. Itachi and, surprisingly, Shikamaru were at my side instantly. I looked up into two sets of equally concerned black eyes. I managed to shove aside the pain and make my way to my feet. The next time I opened my eyes, my vision was tinted red. I closed my eyes and shook my head, willing away the blood-lust. That was the last thing I needed at the moment, as few calming breaths helped. A few more cleared my sight completely.

Once I was in control again, I turned to my silent companions. I flashed a somewhat shaky smile, and their expressions eased. I turned back towards our destination. Fifty yards; that was what was between me and my past; the past that no one knew about save two people, Itachi and my master. My master knew because she was there and Itachi knew because he could see the memories in my mind.

After what seemed like an eternity, my feet began to once again move. Kami, I hated this place. I hated this place as much as I hated him. My brooding was interrupted by Ino. She lightly touched my shoulder to get my attention. I looked over at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly. I nodded and together we started off. For some reason having her at my side made me feel better.

The uneasy feeling in my stomach grew with every step I took. Something was in the village, sleeping; but not for long. Once the sun had set it would awaken. I could feel the other vampires' presence. I always knew when another of my kind was near, the same went for demons. It's probably because of my dual blood line. The same blood line that gave both me and Itachi the ability to walk in the sun. Full blooded vampires were confined to sleep, but not us.

I pushed the uneasiness aside for now and crossed over the border between the forest and the village. I mentally braced myself for the memories that I knew would come. And come they did. The first one slammed into me but I was prepared for it, I wasn't facing these ones alone.

I flashed through the hand seals quickly and on the last one I shouted out, "**Ninja Art; Living Memory Jutsu!**"

My companions stood in silent amazement as time seemed to reverse it. In a few seconds, two thousand years had gone in reverse; where before there had been crumbling buildings, now each building stood in perfect condition.

It was the sound of voices that drew out attention away from our surroundings. I smirked as I saw our younger selves stroll out of the forest. My presence was the only on missing.

The name for my jutsu became apparent as I walked right into the illusion form and became one with the memory.

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_(Normal POV)_

The memory seemed to play out like a movie for the others, but for Naruto it was a whole different story.

Naruto was actually reliving the memory. He will experience everything all over again.

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_(Flashback no jutsu)_

_I sighed as we left the forest behind. For some reason I wasn't ready to enter the village just yet. The Village Hidden in the Shadows; for some reason this village made me terribly uneasy._

_Kakashi-sensei was the one to enter the village first, and I made sure I was the last one. The others ignored my uneasiness and just continued walking. The only one who remained by my side was Shikamaru. Worried black eyes locked with my blue. Words weren't needed to express my concern; Shikamaru saw everything in my eyes._

_We've always had this connection. For as long as I could remember, Shikamaru's been there. Baa-chan said we balance each other, that are why we're paired together for so many missions._

_I shrugged at his look and started walking again. I may be uneasy, but I wasn't backing out of this mission. That was a decision I soon regretted._

_A gentle rumble from Kyuubi drew me away from the others. I lightly tapped Shikamaru on the shoulder as I passed. The Nara heir backed away from his teammates and followed me into an alley._

_Kyuubi edged me further into the darkness. I could now tell what she wanted me to know. She smelt it long before I did; the unmistakable smell of rotting flesh. I dug a small flashlight out of my coat pocket and crouched down on the soiled ground next to the body._

_I didn't know exactly what I was looking for, but I would know it when I found it. Kyuubi rumbled again, urging me to move my flashlight higher up. I knew then that nothing human had killed this __person. I studied the body closely. It was female, probably at least three to four years older than me. As my flashlight moved higher up her body, I took note that she had no obvious injuries. That was until I reached her face. Her neck had been torn out. So that's why they thought it was a wild animal._

_Upon closer inspection I noticed the ragged edges around the wound. Shikamaru moved to kneel at my side. I think he wanted a closer look at the wound._

"_No animal did this," I whispered. Shikamaru nodded distracted. I looked over at my silent companion and noticed that his attention was no longer on the body, but on our surroundings. "Is something wrong?"_

_The Nara shook his head. "I thought I heard something."_

_I slowly took a good look at my surroundings. The alley was dark the only light coming from my flashlight. But even in the dim light I could make out my surroundings pretty well. I didn't hear anything suspicious, but it was wise not to take any chances. I looked at Shikamaru and said, "We should go tell the others about the body."_

_Shikamaru nodded, "Good idea, let's go."_

_We left the alley and the body and headed back to where the others were still standing. Kakashi-sensei was still in deep conversation with the civilian who came to greet us._

_(Flashback no jutsu: Kai) _

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I let the jutsu fade off, just glad it was one of the milder memories. I turned towards my still silent companions, "that was one of the milder ones. There are a few of them that are pretty gruesome."

"Milder ones?" Shikamaru questioned, walking over to my side.

I nodded, "Hai, I had one a few nights ago. That one was about my attack, it took me most of the night to get back to sleep."

That got everyone's attention. "Attack? What attack?"

I sighed. "More than likely you'll find out real soon."

"What does that mean?" Ino asked.

"You'll see," and with that we began our walk into the village.

The trip to the village entrance wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The memories didn't rush to me like I had expected. But then again there were memories that I would have liked to experience, for they at least wouldn't be as bad as what I knew was to come.

Even in ruins, the Village Hidden in the Shadows was still creeping me out. But then again, there was more than just ghost in this village. I could feel the vampires, just waiting until the sun set. Once the sun had completely disappeared from the sky, Itachi and I would have a fight on our hands.

Vampires, especially young ones were very dangerous. At least that is what my master keeps telling me. I have yet to actually face one in battle myself.

A half hour later was the time that I dreaded the most; the sun was starting to set. In a few more hours, it will be dark enough for the fledglings to rise. But that isn't what has my attention now.

What has my attention now is a voice that I haven't heard in almost a thousand years. The sweet voice of my master, she is nearby. And she is determined to see me.

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A/N; I know that I haven't written anything in a while, I have school to deal with. But now that I'm on vacation, expect at least one chapter for all of my stories to to be posted. Until next time, Ja Ne.


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